James Piccirrilli

Cartography During the Boston Campaign explores mostly British Maps and examines how they choose to depict critical events of the Boston Campaign during the opening days of the Revolution. Although the maps may be British in origin, the motivations and the bias of the maps can be less clear cut. What is clear throughout the maps is that both sides had an interest in misrepresenting their side as well as their performance in the battles during the Campaign. These biases are further complicated by the ambiguousness of the Boston Campaign. While Lexington and Concord were American victories, Bunker Hill was an (admittedly pyrrhic) British victory, and the evacuation was an American victory, there was no decisive winner at any point. The creators of the maps often struggled in displaying the true nature of the battles, and resorted to less faithful depictions, especially in the immediate aftermath of the battle.